Follow the Whey to Ginger Carrot Land…

I was able to use the whey that I made yesterday to make ginger carrots today! What are ginger carrots, you say? Well, they are the very first fermented vegetable that I ever made! And they are very good… mild sweet tangy flavor that complement many dishes. The carrots are meant to be used as a condiment of sorts (like sauerkraut), and contain a lot of beneficial bacteria that aids in digestion. That is why these are great to eat with meat. I have even made a quick snack of ginger carrots and a piece of cheese and maybe a cracker or two… tasty! The ultimate ‘fast' food!

In a bowl, mix all ingredients and pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer to release juices. Place in a quart-sized, wide mouth mason jar and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices cover the carrots. The top of the carrots should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jar. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage.

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Is there a trick to packing down the carrot/ginger mix? I am having a heck of a time to get it to stay packed at the bottom of the jar. Every time I pull the tool out from packing it, all the carrots come back to the top of the liquid

Hi Briana… are you adding water? Usually my carrots don’t have a ton of liquid in them. Are you using the big, regular carrots or the baby carrots to make the recipe? I have noticed that some carrots are packaged with some water or soaked in it, so that could be causing the problem. I’m sure someone on here has had the same problem though…

No, not adding water. Just using the juice that comes from the carrots after they are pounded. The carrots are local and organic and the large size. I did talk to AnnMarie and she had told me to use another jar that fit inside and held the carrots down under the liquid. I did that and it seemed to work after that. There was a nice bubbly transition going on that wasn’t happening when the carrots were at the top. I did find that the ginger was far too overpowering. They were almost sour when they were all said and done. We will probably end up throwing these away as none of the family (myself included) want to eat them. Any suggestions would be gratefully welcome. 🙂

Briana, thanks for writing another comment and giving an update. I’ve been thinking about your problem. I think I’m having the same problem with my ginger carrots!! They were good at first, but now they have an off taste. I think I know why. I’m not sure how you prepared your ginger, but I grated mine with a very fine grater. It was more like the consistency of garlic when you put it through a press. Maybe the tiny pieces of ginger ferment too much with time, and produce alcohol? I remember reading about this with the beet kvass. Sally said not to grate the beets in that recipe but cut them into chunks so that the beets didn’t produce alcohol, which is the wrong kind of fermentation. So I think I will make these again, but will maybe put in less ginger and cut into small pieces, more like chopped garlic. Or maybe it’s the grated carrot causing the fermentation problem. Maybe I will try to do ginger carrot sticks. If you figure it out let me know! It sounds like you’re getting great carrots so that definitely isn’t the problem. 🙂

I think you could even make the ginger large enough to pick out when you are eating the carrots. I would think the flavor would still come out of the pieces and flavor the carrots. I’ve not tried it, I am just about to make them for the first time so maybe I am wrong.

I’ve had a batch of these sitting in the fridge for a while and I threw a bunch in with some arugula and parmesean cheese to make an omelette this morning. The sweet tart carrots were AWESOME in an omelette!

Hi
i love reading your blog! I am new to the NT way and just received my book in the mail this week after spending many hours reading online articles such as yours. I have been eating my ginger carrots the last two days and was wondering if it is possible to make them using less salt or if this amont of salt is necessary for the fermentation to occur? Also, how do you know if your fermentated vegetable recipes have produced the correct type of probiotics as opposed to other bacteria, as it all tastes kind of weird to begin with!! Thanks for you help and support through your website!

Great question, Jo. I’m wondering the same thing as I’m starting out. How do I know if things are working out right? Or how will I know if something went wrong and I shouldn’t eat it or need to make it a different way?

Hi, I would like to make this recipe. However, I don’t have any mason jars nor access to any. They don’t sell them in the country that I live in. I do have a quart sized olive jar that has been emptied and cleaned. Do you think it would work? I also could get a hold of an old honey jar that has a rubber ring at the top and clamps closed with a wire contraption on the outside.

I just found your blog today, and you inspired me to make this recipe! I’ve had the Nourishing Traditions cookbook for a few months now, and though I’ve made several recipes, I knew there was something I was meaning to try and had forgotten! The cookbook is so big, sometimes I spend half an hour flipping through it, reading the margin notes and thinking, “I’ll have to remember this recipe for later.” I should get some post-it notes, but in the meantime – thanks for the reminder! I really enjoy reading your posts.

I chopped (instead of grated) the ginger and reduced the salt the second time I made this and I found it tasted much better to me. I even ate the whole batch myself which I was proud of since sometimes I’m a little too intimidated by my results. My favorite way to eat these is topping a sprouted wheat bagel with cream cheese and a generous portion of ginger carrots. Fabulous, not just tolerable but really good!

When we went WAPF the whole idea of fermented anything was off-putting, but I started with carrots as per Sally’s recommendation and my husband went ape! LOVED them! My son and I (who were the reasons we went WAPF) thought they were just ok… then sauerkraut next I attempted and my husband went through a jar in a week! Well, 2 years later, my 12mo daughter demands the carrots if they’re in sight so we’ve gotten used to dishing it out and putting it back in the fridge otherwise that’s all she’ll eat!

I made these several months ago, and found that they started turning white from the top of the batch down into the jar. I don’t know if there is something wrong with them, or if they have just dried out. (At first, the liquid was covering them, but then it disappeared, and the jar was tightly sealed.) Have you ever experienced this? Do you think they are safe to try as long as they don’t smell bad? In the book, Sally said you’d know if they were bad. Thanks for your input!

If there’s any doubt at all, I wouldn’t use it. But if you find the white stuff early you can lift it off and use it. If the water is low, just add a bit more to cover and make sure they’re pressed down. It won’t hurt to add a bit of water as you use it and should prevent some of the white stuff from happening…

I just learned about Nourishing Traditions yesterday.
Am draining yogurt as we speak.
When the recipe says carrots must be one inch from the top of the jar does that mean the juice and/or carrots 1 inch from the top?
I just retired and am excited about trying these recipes.
Thanks,
Joan

Hello! i tried these a while back but they were WAY too salty and WAY too ginger-y. I still have them in my fridge, cause I can’t bear to toss them…going to try them again, then toss if still not good. (I made the apricot butter from NT and it has mellowed over time, to a nice smooth flavor) I will definitely try according to your adjustments. Thanks!!

Hey Jeff! I was just looking for that answer too and this is the reply I found on another site:
Hi there. Good question! If the carrots are organic, I typically leave the skins on. I scrub the carrots with my veggie brush first, just to get most of the dirt off, but if there’s a little on there, it’s not going to hurt. It might actually help!

I just read that the peels of carrots don’t hold all the nutrients, that they are throughout the vegetable, so you don’t lose anything good by peeling. you might remove some bad stuff and dirt by peeling so why not, or just scrub.

Great blog! I’m starting out with the NT recipes, and it will inspire me.
I just tried the Ginger-carrot fermentation recipe from the book, and it failed. I just opened the jar, and it’s all gooey. It doesn’t smell terrible, but not so good. So I guess I’ll have to throw it out… I wonder what went wrong?!!
I’ll try your adjustments. Thanks a lot.

I’m having the same problem a few others have had: my ginger-carrots turned out WAY too salty. I made Kim Chee (with the same proportion of salt) the same day and it turned out fine, so I’m wondering what’s up! I think my carrots weren’t very sweet this time (but I’m also wondering if I can halve the salt in the recipe).

you definitely can halve the salt in the recipe and have good results. Did you pack the carrots down pretty firm when measuring? This recipe does better when they are packed. But yes you are right the sweetness of your carrots will affect how salty it tastes for sure.

Hi, I’ve recently tried fermenting foods — kefir (still unsure about it — always tastes different every time), beet kvass, and the ginger carrots. I found this site when trying to research what appeared to be mold on the top. I took another look and concluded perhaps it was just the grated ginger that had risen to the top — I originally thought it was white, but now it looked more beige — I was concerned because the carrots were also partially out of the liquid. I scooped out the top layer (just in case it was mold) and tried it — omg thats good! I’m not crazy about ginger, but this is pretty yummy.

I’m new to fermenting. How fresh do my carrots need to be? I buy the big bag of organic carrots from Costco, and the bag in my fridge is a couple weeks old – they still look and taste fine, but are they still good for fermenting?

Has anyone had experience in letting their Gingered Carrots ferment out of ‘cold storage’ for more than the 3 days? I leave cabbage sauerkraut out of fridge to ferment and the saltiness turns to a delicious sourness over that time. Transferring to refrigerator greatly slows this process, so wondering if anyone has left their Gingered Carrots out of fridge for a week or two to mature?

I made my first batch of ginger carrots last week and just tried them today. I get the big bag of baby carrots from Costco (organic), so since I couldn’t grate them, I chopped them in my mini-processor. I followed all the instructions and when I opened the Mason jar this morning, the carrots started to expand out over the top of the jar. I also tasted them and I’m not sure if they are good. They look very sticky and there aren’t any juices left. Could I have turned them into something else b/c of releasing too many juices by chopping them in my processor…such as carrot booze?!?!

I ended up experimenting and leaving my gingered carrots ferment outside the refrigerator for 2 weeks. I live in a subtropical climate and it is summer here and the room temperature was often close to 80 degree F. I made the recipe using 2 teaspoons of salt instead of 2 Tablespoons. I grated the carrots using an ultra fine grater and the result has turned out to be the most delicious batch I’ve made so far. Yes, my batch also expanded and overflowed while gestating, but there was still plenty of juice left to cover the carrots. So all went well. I’ll give it a 10 out of 10 for sourness and tartness. No funny tastes, mold or hint of any alcohol formation. The fine grate also resulted in a ‘melt in my mouth’ texture. I used organic orange and purple carrots and used the full 2 Tablespoons of whey that I drained off my milk kefir. I can’t wait to make my next batch!

So if they are a little slimy, I should toss? I’m so disappointed. I was really looking forward to having these…

I’ve mead several batches of sauerkraut with no problem. Anyone know why the carrots get slimy? I grated them (about 6 cups to fill my quart mason jar when pressed down, and followed the rest of the NT recipe for the ginger, salt and whey. So, why the slime?

Just made and sampled my ginger carrots. I used my mandoline to make little matchstick julienne out of the carrots and the ginger. I peeled the carrots and ginger first. I smashed them down ALOT, followed the recipe exactly as in NT, but halved it because I wasn’t sure how I would like it. It was a beautiful bright orange color with some bubbles. Well today I had some on a slice of bread with cream cheese, delicious! Then for dinner I made tandoori chicken wraps and added some into the wraps. Again, great! I am going to make a full batch now and try to always have some on hand. I would also try it with different colored carrots for fun, I assume it would work the same way.

I have a question. When I make this, I use up all the carrots and there is brine left over in the jar. Can I reuse that brine to make a new batch of carrots, using it as the whey? Will that work? Please, anyone?

Rebecca C, this is a very good question and I would love to hear an answer to that one, too!!
Another question that relates to that directly would be: How long can you keep these carrots? I made some Sauerkraut and that lasted well over a year!!!
And how do I know if it turns into an alcoholic fermentation? Smell, taste, look?
Somebody asked for a book. I just started reading that one (I am a beginner, too):http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1931498237
All the best!

I made these carrots and some how I missed the note that said to refrigerate them after 3 days. They haven been on my counter for about a week- should I pitch them?? Have they been at room temperature for too long? It’s rather warm where I live. Thanks for the help! and the recipe!

Andrea… unfortunately they are probably over fermented. But you could try it – put it in the fridge and cool it down, smell to see if it’s pleasantly sour, and take a taste. If it’s ok, you’ll want to use them up faster than you would have normally…

I need done help please. I started a lacto ferment of carrots in a close glass jar. I’m a newbie and when ‘ burping’ it after 24 hrs ( I’ve read to do the burping daily up to 7-10 days). So I got a little excited and let air into it, is it ruined? I’d like to add more water because it’s not fully covered ,can I add water now? If I don’t real ease apt he air will my glass jar blow up? 🙂 thanks for your patience, I so so so want to get into this.anyone want to be my apprentice. ? 😉

My fermentation experiences have only been with fermented or pickled radishes and kimchee. I use carrots and diakon radishes that have been julienned along with napa cabbage and coarse sea salt in the kimchee. The fermented radishes have two kinds of radishes, carrots and ume vinegar.

I have done some research into the whole process of fermentation, and I have some general suggestions that may help. Use organic, pesticide-free carrots and ginger. Pesticides interfere with the fermentation process. I think it interferes with the formation of lactic acid by not letting the sugar in the vegetables release properly. I haven’t researched this enough to understand the whole chemical process yet.

After reading some of the comments, I think “julienning” the carrots may keep the ‘slime’ effect from happening, because grating produces a lot more surface area. I also “massage” all of the vegetables after letting them sit in salt for an hour or so, because the bacteria on one’s hands helps start the release of the sugars in the vegetables. I also just rinse the outside of the vegetables, and then slice, julienne, whatever. I find the cutting process to be very meditative and soothing.

I also believe that some type of dry coarse salt should be used. Most of the salt that can be purchased in a regular grocery store has been processed to remove all of the other mineral salts except sodium chloride. I prefer coarse Himalayan salt which is pink in color, expensive, but it gives good results.

Ginger aids the fermentation process, and is used to make “ginger bug” which is used in making fermented sodas that used to be sold in “soda” shops up until about 1960 in the U.S. The ginger is not peeled, because there is something in the skin that helps fermentation.

If one is having difficulty keeping the vegetables covered, try putting water in a plastic baggy and sealing, and then pushing it down onto the vegetables until some of the juice covers it. Glass weights can also be used, and can be found online. Some are expensive; some not so expensive. I have also read that a couple of whole cabbage or lettuce leaves can be placed on top of the brine.

Another thing is using the “Pickl-It” system. The “Pickl-It” system uses a glass weight and an air lock to aid in the fermentation process. See: http://www.pickl-it.com for more information. You can also buy the air locks from a store that specializes in beer and wine-making supplies, and create your own “system.” The beauty of the airlock is that it lets any oxygen that may have been trapped in the liquid out, and keeps the carbon dioxide in. It also keep out oxygen from the outside. Since fermentation is an anaerobic process, any oxygen from the air would change the process and produce unwanted bacteria and chemicals.

Also, use whole herbs and spices, not ground ones. I came across this information in my research, but can’t remember the reason, but I think it has to do with spoilage.